House defies Abbott on vouchers

The Texas House defied Gov. Greg Abbott by twice voting to kill a school voucher plan that has been the subject of four special legislative sessions. Twenty-one Republicans from rural districts joined with House Democrats to defeat House Bill 1, which contained the Education Savings Account plan along with increases in public school funding. The House members successfully voted to separate the ESA provisions from the school funding bill on Nov. 17. The move essentially killed the voucher bill in the House as time winds down on the session.

Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacks- boro, did not support the amendment to separate school funding from the ESAs.

Rep. Spiller, who heard strong objections to the ESAs from the Olney Independent School District, described his reasons for voting against the amendment to strip out the ESAs from the education funding portion in the following statement: “On Friday, November 17th, I had hoped that the Texas House would have passed HB 1 … Instead, after the education savings account (ESA) program was stripped out of the bill, HB 1 was referred back to committee. A number of things can happen at this point, including, but not limited to, working HB 1 some more and bringing it back to the House floor, instead moving SB 1 and/ or SB 2 and voting it or them to the House floor for consideration, or doing nothing and wait until the Governor calls us back into another special session presumably next month.

Before I get into the specifics of HB 1 as presented and as amended in the House, let me say that, as a former Trustee of the Jacksboro Independent School District for 26 years (more than anyone in the legislature), I have always been a strong supporter of public education and will continue to stand up for public education and rural Texas schools. My wife, Ginger, is a retired teacher of 31 years. Our two sons, Mason and Reid, who are practicing attorneys with me, are products of public education. As a legislator, I have a constitutional duty and obligation to adequately and efficiently fund public education in Texas. Article 7, Section 1, Texas Constitution. However, I also support the concepts of educational freedom, parental choice, greater parental involvement in their children’s education, greater transparency regarding lesson plans and teaching materials, and parents having the opportunity to provide the best possible educational opportunities for their children.

We are in our fourth special session. Governor Abbott has made it clear that he is not going to sign an education bill without the establishment of an ESA program. Governor Abbott has also made it clear that he is going to continue to call us into special sessions until ESA’s are established. While I know that ESA’s are not popular with many people in House District 68, they are likewise supported by many of my constituents. It’s a difficult issue. I voted against the amendment to completely remove ESA’s out of HB 1. Admittedly, I have concerns about ESA’s as they have been presented, including the potential long-term costs to our state (including the possibility of future increased property taxes and sales taxes to pay for them), a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency, and the fact that private schools do not have the same enrollment, accessibility and other requirements placed on public schools. House District 68 covers 59 public school districts – 54 traditional public school districts and 5 public charter schools – and 9 private schools. Further, there are many in House District 68 that homeschool, which is also affected by HB 1.

“My obligation on this issue is to continue to work as hard as I can on behalf of my district and in the best interest of the children of House District 68. I have worked with stakeholders to have the best version of HB 1 for my district. HB 1, as filed in this fourth special session, provides, in part, for the following: 1. An increase in the basic allotment, and future increases adjusted for inflation.

2. An increase in the weights of various allotments including those for small and mid size schools.

3. With the passage of HJR 1 and HB 2, the creation of the School Safety Fund.

4. Bonuses for both full-time and part-time teachers, nurses, counselors and librarians, and a continuation of pay increases through basic allotment growth.

5. Increases in the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), including the high needs and rural factors of the TIA.

6. Increases in Special Education funding.

7. Increases in Charter Facility funding.

8. Inclusion of a grant to offset retire/rehire penalties for classroom teachers incurred by local education agencies.

Worth noting is that the anticipated average gain for funding under HB 1 based on average daily attendance starting in 2024-2025 is higher for public schools in House District 68 than in any of the 150 house districts.

Additionally, I authored or co-authored the following amendments to HB 1: 1. Amendment providing that student recipients of ESA funding in private schools must take the same assessment instrument (currently the STAAR test) as public school students, and not just some norm-referenced test.

2. Amendment to sunset ESA’s in 2029, rather than have them continue indefinitely without review, study and analysis.

3. Amendment to have teacher pay calculated on a monthly basis rather than an annual basis, resulting in greater payments to teachers, nurses, counselors and librarians.

4. Amendment adjusting and restricting the Commissioner’s authority relative to accountability standards.

5. Amendment streamlining and expediting a school’s grievance process.

6. Amendment ensuring that low-income students have access to AP exams and early college credit, increasing the pool of teachers trained to teach AP courses, and decreasing college costs for Texas families.

7. Amendment guaranteeing that a school district not provide a student with any form of mental health treatment for gender dysphoria without the student’s parental consent.

“As your voice in the Texas House of Representatives, I always strive to do my best to effectively represent House District 68, to continue to advance and defend the conservative principles, values, and beliefs of the people of my district, and to continue to provide the experienced, knowledgeable and accessible representation that the citizens of my district deserve.”

Rep. Spiller advised constituents to contact him at 512-463-0526 to discuss this or any other matter.